Your Questions Answered

District 54B covers Prior Lake, parts of Shakopee, and Jordan, as well as a number of vibrant communities and rural townships throughout Scott County. Learn more here!

Minnesota gives you three ways to cast your ballot in the November 3 election, and all three are open to every voter in District 54B. No excuse or reason is required for any of them.

1. Vote by mail. Request a ballot, fill it out at your kitchen table, send it back.

2. Vote early in person. Walk into a nearby city hall or the county office any weekday and vote on the spot.

3. Vote in person on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, at your assigned polling place.

Ballots have been available since Friday, September 18. Here, we vote — and we don't wait until the last minute to figure out how. Everything below comes from the Minnesota Secretary of State at MNVotes.gov.

You can vote in person right now, on any weekday, and you can register at the same time if you bring proof of residence. According to the Secretary of State's list of early voting locations for Scott County:

• Shakopee City Hall

  485 Gorman St, Shakopee

  Mon–Fri 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

  Shakopee residents

• Prior Lake City Hall

  4646 Dakota St SE, Prior Lake

  Mon–Fri 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

  Prior Lake residents

• Jordan City Hall

  210 1st Street E, Jordan

  Mon–Fri 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

  Jordan residents

• Scott County Public Works

  600 Country Trl E, Jordan

  Mon–Fri 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

  Any Scott County resident

Township voters: Jackson Township and Louisville Township residents vote at Shakopee City Hall. Spring Lake Township residents vote at Prior Lake City Hall. If you live in one of our other townships, Scott County Public Works in Jordan serves every resident of the county.

Extended hours before Election Day. Locations add weekend and evening hours in the final stretch: Saturday, October 24 (9 a.m.–3 p.m.), Tuesday, October 27 (open until 7 p.m.), Saturday, October 31 (9 a.m.–3 p.m.), Sunday, November 1 (9 a.m.–3 p.m.), and Monday, November 2 (open until 5 p.m.).

Starting Friday, October 16, Minnesota's new Early Voting process begins — instead of sealing your ballot in an envelope, you sign a short certificate and feed your ballot straight into the counter, just like on Election Day. The last day to vote early in person is Monday, November 2.

Hours and locations were current as of September 18. Confirm yours at MNVotes.gov or with your city clerk before you go.

This is the one worth reading twice. A postmark does not count. Your ballot must be received by election officials by Election Day, so a ballot postmarked November 2 that arrives November 5 does not get counted.

• By mail: use the postage-paid envelope that came with your ballot, and send it as early as you can. Within a week of Election Day, drop it off instead of mailing it.

• Drop it off yourself: return it to the office that sent it, during office hours, no later than 5 p.m. on Election Day. Some jurisdictions have a 24-hour ballot drop box.

• Have someone drop it off: one person may return ballots for up to three other voters, and they'll need ID showing their name and signature.

• Do not bring your absentee ballot to a polling place on Election Day.

If illness or a hospital stay makes it hard to get out, Minnesota's agent delivery process lets someone you know pick up and return your ballot starting seven days before the election — and that route runs until 8 p.m. on Election Day.

You apply for a ballot, and you do not need to be registered to apply. The fastest way is online at MNVotes.gov — you'll need an email address and either your Minnesota ID number or your Social Security number. You can also download a paper application and return it to the Scott County election office.

The Secretary of State recommends applying before Tuesday, October 20 so there's time for your application to be processed, your ballot to reach you, and your ballot to get back.

One step people miss: you need a witness. Before you mark your ballot, find someone who is a U.S. citizen and will be 18 by Election Day — or a notary — and have them watch you receive the blank ballot. You and your witness both sign the white signature envelope. You can follow your ballot the whole way with the Track Your Ballot tool at MNVotes.gov.

Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3. If you're in line at 8 p.m., you get to vote.

Find your polling place with the Secretary of State's Poll Finder at pollfinder.sos.mn.gov — polling places in 54B are assigned by address, and yours may have changed. You can also see your sample ballot there before you go.

Not registered? Minnesota has same-day registration. Pre-registration closes Tuesday, October 13, but you can register at your polling place on Election Day with proof of residence — a driver's license, a utility bill, or a registered voter in your precinct who can vouch for you.

Here, we vote. See you at the polls.

You can contact our campaign using the form on our contact page, or email christopher@ck4mn.com

This is an open seat — the current representative is running for a different office — so District 54B will send someone new to St. Paul in January.

Chris Kartschoke is a small-business owner, a father and a community volunteer, and he brings a pragmatic, common-sense, data-driven approach to the job. He believes good policy should work for all sides, and that a bad decision shouldn't be shielded because of the party behind it. He'd rather solve the problem in front of Scott County than win the argument about it.

Chris would love your support. Whether that means simply sharing his messaging on social media, volunteering for a grassroots outreach, or financially supporting his campaign, every little bit helps.